{"id":463685,"date":"2026-02-09T12:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T12:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/463685\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T12:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T12:06:26","slug":"explore-a-small-london-apartment-thats-a-lesson-in-high-low-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/463685\/","title":{"rendered":"Explore a Small London Apartment That’s a Lesson in High-Low Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

The eclectic style of interior designer Ananth Ramaswamy\u2019s home, shared with his barrister husband Alexander Drapkin, took shape as their relationship was taking off.<\/p>\n

The couple embraced the transformation of an apartment in south London into their inviting one-bed home with the same gusto as their budding relationship. Meeting a new partner includes discovering an interior design style<\/a> that aligns with or differs from the other person\u2019s. Ananth points out that they fell into the former camp.<\/p>\n

\u2018My aesthetic is more modern than Alex\u2019s. I like 1970s and 1980s design and contemporary lighting, while he loves Georgian furniture for its simplicity and honesty.\u2019 Not that their divergent tastes proved irreconcilable, evidenced by the way they\u2019ve fused Alexander\u2019s more traditional taste with Ananth\u2019s pluralist eye.<\/p>\n

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Living room: Ananth relaxes in the comfortable surroundings of this space, made all the more personal by a global art collection, carefully chosen with his husband Alexander. Sofa: New Guinea tapa cloth, Chiswick Auctions<\/a>. 1970s coffee table, Lots Road Auctions<\/a>. 1960s teak table by Kaj Winding, 1stDibs<\/a>. Wall in Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Sim Canetty-Clarke)<\/p>\n

\u2018Alex bought the flat in 2018,\u2019 says Ananth, who was born in Bangalore and in 2008 moved to London to study at the Architectural Association. \u2018I moved in with Alex in 2020.\u2019 The flat, formerly student accommodation, needed a lot of work.<\/p>\n

\u2018What\u2019s lovely about it is that it spans two houses and is very wide,\u2019 says Ananth. \u2018Alex had a brainwave \u2013 to swap a large bedroom<\/a> for a smaller room as we spend the least amount of time in it. We converted the former to a dining room<\/a> as we love entertaining.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Kitchen: Ananth and Alexander, who frequently entertain, wanted this all-white space to be functional and clean-lined. Lampe de Marseille wall light by Le Corbusier, Nemo Lighting at Aram<\/a>. Black Karipot cooking pot, Tiipoi<\/a>. Blue and white plates, Ceramiche De Simone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Sim Canetty-Clarke)<\/p>\n

The house is part of a terrace tucked away from nearby Elephant & Castle. Ananth wanted to work with the house\u2019s architecture, which helped dovetail the pair\u2019s contrasting tastes. \u2018We worked with the Victorian bones,\u2019 says Ananth. \u2018For the dining room, I chose a Cole & Son<\/a> chinoiserie wallpaper with pagoda and weeping willow motifs.\u2019 The neighborhood\u2019s feeling of relative calm deepens as you enter this cocooning home.<\/p>\n

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Dining room: Ananth\u2019s desire to respect the apartment\u2019s Victorian past is reflected in the choice of chinoiserie wallpaper and antique chairs, given to Alexander by his parents. Drinks cabinet, Lots Road Auctions<\/a>. Water glasses on table by Salviati in Murano. Wine glasses by Dior, Selfridges<\/a>. Mirror, Oka<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Sim Canetty-Clarke)<\/p>\n

The couple did the work in a methodical way. \u2018Alex first decided to sand the timber floorboards, which had a nasty dark stain. This revealed beautiful old pine floorboards which we loved. We took a phased approach as we didn\u2019t have the budget to tackle everything at the same time. Early on, we upgraded the electrics and had joinery made to add storage space.\u2019<\/p>\n

Flexible lighting was a core consideration. \u2018My clients are in hospitality, so for me good lighting is crucial,\u2019 says Ananth. His ingenuity with lighting is evident throughout the flat.<\/p>\n

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Living room: The couple have given many inexpensive sofas and chairs a new lease on life by reupholstering them in high-end fabrics. Sofa (by window), Dudgeon Sofas<\/a>. Bullion fringe on sofa, Samuel & Sons<\/a>. Floor lamp lampshade, Munro and Kerr<\/a>. Wall-hung niche, Roseberys Auctioneers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Sim Canetty-Clarke)<\/p>\n

In the living room<\/a>, a black articulated pendant light casts light over different areas of the space, while mirror-backed sconces support candles that animate it with their flickering flames. \u2018The second phase was redoing the kitchen<\/a> and bathroom<\/a>. We wanted a very practical kitchen.\u2019<\/p>\n

This now has ultra-minimal IKEA<\/a> kitchen cabinets, although a Carrara marble work surface adds a ritzy feel. \u2018We had a bath installed in the bathroom. I prefer a shower but Alex loves a bath. That was non-negotiable.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Living room: Books are stored in Victorian bookcases, one of which was inherited from Alexander’s grandmother. Wall in Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball<\/a>. Pouffe and cushions, Kutnia<\/a>. Framed lithographs by Eug\u00e8ne Burnouf from Paris market Porte de Clignancourt.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Sim Canetty-Clarke)<\/p>\n

Soon after, raw-silk window treatments made in Bangalore were installed. When furniture-hunting, the couple scoured auction houses. In the living room, their finds include Danish mid-century nesting tables and lamps incorporating ostrich eggs, redolent of 1970s designs by David Hicks and Neil Zarach. Alex already owned antiques, including a revolving Victorian bookcase that contains Penguin paperbacks, whose orange spines tone with a sofa in velvet from Rubelli.<\/p>\n

\u2018The last, most important layer for me is art,\u2019 continues Ananth. In the dining room hangs a stylized portrait of a woman, reminiscent of Modigliani\u2019s paintings, by Russian-born artist Jacob Kramer. In the living room is a framed embroidered textile that Ananth\u2019s father brought back from Uzbekistan as a gift. \u2018My father, who\u2019s passed away, was very cultured,\u2019 he says. \u2018My sensibilities come from him and my mother, who loves fashion, travel, and food.\u2019<\/p>\n

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Bedroom: This light-filled, pared-back space was intended to be a simple, calming room \u2013 ‘a retreat.’ Rich wood tones add texture and warmth. Bed, Cotswold Caners<\/a>. Bedside lamp, Oka<\/a>. Artwork by Vasu Sellamuthu<\/a>. Tapestry cushion, Jules Pansu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Sim Canetty-Clarke)<\/p>\n

Ananth has introduced Indian artifacts, such as a pair of heads made using a woodworking craft called kinnal, a gift from a friend. And he\u2019s acquired Italian glassware by Salviati and cushions covered in colorful handwoven textiles by Turkish company Kutnia.<\/p>\n

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Did Alexander defer to Ananth when it came to decorating decisions, given his design expertise? \u2018I\u2019d say we struck a balance.\u2019 The end result, he says, was \u2018definitely collaborative\u2019. And with the potential to add more art and artifacts, this project is ever-evolving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The eclectic style of interior designer Ananth Ramaswamy\u2019s home, shared with his barrister husband Alexander Drapkin, took shape…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":463686,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":["post-463685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=463685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/463685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/463686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=463685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=463685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=463685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}